Decorating a Princess Birthday Party

by: Cynthia Marcano

Pink castles, dresses and glittery wands and tiaras are dreamt of by every little girl wanting to be a princess. While giving her a royal ball may be out of your budget, giving her a princess birthday party will please her just as much. With so many princess themes out there, decorating and planning a princess birthday is now easier and less expensive than ever.

First decide whether you are planning a general princess theme or a specific princess theme like a Disney or Barbie Princess. While most princess themes are generally pink, purple and white, you often find themes like the Little Mermaid that are blue, so deciding on a princess theme should be your starting point.

Now that the theme is settled, begin planning the decor of the party area. Budget will determine how grand your decorations will be, but with a few decor tricks, making your princess party grand will not be difficult. Make the cake table the centerpiece of the party area. By bringing all of the focus to that specific area, the attention will be taken away from the not so decorated areas.

Balloons can go a long way and are not so expensive if you can purchase them from a local dollar store. Use the solid colored latex balloons instead of foil to make your dollars stretch further.

Create a throne from a dining chair or wing back chair, if you have one. Try wrapping a lace or cream/off white table cover or sheet around the chair and adding a pink bow to the back. For extra flare hang a feather boa from the back of the chair or on the arm rests as an accent.

Budget friendly parties can use decor as double duty. Organize favors into centerpieces by placing two or three in the center of the table surrounding a few helium filled latex balloons. This will save on the cost of buying or making centerpieces. If time is your constraint, purchase or make princess themed cupcakes and place them in small favor boxes. Its less sugar than a bag filled with candy and the children will surely love them. If you are not using a birthday cake and instead are using cupcakes for the singing of happy birthday, try to make the cupcake favors different so that the children are surprised. Princess theme shaped cookies are a great alternative to cupcakes as well.

If your budget gives you more wiggle room, make your centerpieces edible. Marshmallow cookie sandwiches are a fun and customizable treat. Purchase or make sugar SOFT cookies with or without pink sprinkles and white or strawberry marshmallows…larger marshmallows are easier. Place one marshmallow in between two cookies and microwave for about 7 seconds. Remove from microwave and squeeze the cookies together until the marshmallow is about to ooze from the sides. Stack them on a plate with sliced strawberries surrounding them. For a more organized look, use smaller cookies and petite marshmallows (you will need a few for each cookie sandwich) and when done place them in a cupcake liner. The display will be more organized and can be placed in a cupcake tree dish for a more centerpiece feel.

Be sure not to get every decoration themed because it can be overkill. Try using solids in streamers, table covers, balloons and plates. If you buy themed dessert plates, purchase solid dinner plates to break up the color pattern. Dinner plates can be situated under the themed dessert plates to give a charger effect. Do not be afraid to make your party look fancy. Setup the tables for your party guests with a formal setup using your themed or solid decorations. Guests will feel like they are at a proper royal ball. Most of all, remember to let your party host shine and do what you think is cute.

About the Author: Cynthia Marcano is the webmaster for http://www.allthingsprincess.com where you can find anything princess related including princess party ideas, coloring pages, bedroom decor and more.